Hmm, how to explain this country. Think of the beach without the water. Don’t get me wrong, there is water on the coast but not so much inland. Water is delivered by truck to your house and maintained in a plastic container on the roof of your house. I am sure in the cities they have water mains but can you imagine a well of water on your roof. I am not sure of the capacity but will say the tanks are quite large. Hot, dry, sandstorms, and hazy. They do have very nice air conditioning. What a marvelous invention for here anyway. Interesting architecture, mostly block, stone, and concrete. Painting and design vary which allows a variety of color and contrast to the area and buildings. A little strict on entrance, so ensure you apply for your visa ahead of time. You have to present your documents and passport with other items to a consulate of the country you are traveling from. It is a interesting visit when you come, ensure you review laws, they can be very strict with punishment. Especially traffic laws which could include jail or impounded car.
Arizona
This should be a great time to write about Arizona while sitting in Saudi Arabia. Sand, sand, sand. Though I have to admit there is much more foliage in Arizona. The high desert is amazing and has some of the most beautiful sites. One that is the most amazing with all of my travels around the globe. GRAND CANYON!!! Wow it was so awe inspiring to stand on the edge and view down the canyon. Had to be God inspired because I just don’t see a river carving it out of the landscape. This was a great state to visit and other sites as well make this a campers dream state. Don’t let the word desert fool you either, it gets plenty cold in Arizona, so if camping in the high desert or even the low desert bring warm clothing to keep the chill off. They have several nice cities but try to get out in to the open were the sky is most beautiful as well.
Arkansas
I have only been in Little Rock and Texarkana, mostly drive through here and have not stopped much to see the hot springs and such. Ozarks are supposed to be a wonderful area but I have not experienced them myself. Little Rock has some sights to see that are interesting. There is a cool bridge in Little Rock that is partly dam also. You can walk across it and absorb the Arkansas river. It is a cool experience. Try to visit on a sunny day so that you can enjoy the rest of the trails around the area as well.
Alabama
Interesting enough I lived here for a while as well, as a child and as an adult. Loads of history came out of this state. Rosa Parks made history in this state. Martin Luther King, Jr. was quite a leader and helped plan and carry out the movement for equal rights, which we still debate to this day. I believe we are starting to move past the point by seeing people as humans now instead of a class or what their ethnic background my have been. Ok, enough history and politics, this is a beautiful state all in all. Hills, farmland, even the beach on the southern most border into the gulf of Mexico. There are nice beaches but tourist areas mainly. If you visit, travel around the middle of the state and see the outdoor parts. Both Birmingham and Montgomery are near the center, if I remember correctly only about two hours apart. Friendly people and interesting to meet. I will be posting pictures within each post when I find them.
Alaska
Maybe I will just start at A for the states and describe all 50 as I see them. So Alaska, what a beautiful and dangerous and very large state. I actually lived here for three years. I think the hardest thing was all of the sunlight in summer and then all of the darkness in winter. Though I lived in the south near Anchorage where at least you did get light and dark around the noon and midnight hours accordingly. Still a vast wilderness to explore there with friends or another explorer, you definitely do not want to go it alone in the wilderness. You know how they always give warnings about hiking, take them for this trek. Bears, moose, and other environmental or animal type situations will and do occur. Though if you don’t care for the outside there are plenty of inside things to do in the larger cities, which are few. If you are in Anchorage, the mountains and ocean both are a short drive away and provide all kinds of adventures. Juneau is a nice tourist place to visit and provides very good eagle watching. This is a cruise port and it can be very busy. There is one inside game that I played with a group of friends probably once or twice a month. It was Jai Alai in bumper cars on a basketball court. It was great fun and I sometimes wonder if they still have the game around. If you decide to move here, I advise to make friends as soon as possible to have plenty to keep you busy. It can get lonely if you keep to yourself. Explore, explore, explore. Camping is a great way to explore this vast state, but I would definitely go in the summertime. Try to get a glimpse of the northern lights while you are there. It is a beautiful phenomenon and will very much impress. There is so much more to talk about for this state, but I will leave it here and let you get up, get out and go experience it for yourself.
Past Travel
So, I start this as a place to record my travels. I have been traveling for over 10 years now visiting all of the states in the U.S. I have been in 56 countries so far and will continue to add to the list as much as possible. It has been eye opening and a little disturbing going in and out of some countries.
All in all it has been a great adventure and I am looking forward to continuing and searching new and old places alike. There are so many great places and then there are the ones that will make you think. I try to find out of the way places, not the tourist spots, though I do visit some of those as well.
This is all for the first post. I am going to look back at some photos and start the first post with information on Alaska and Hawaii.
The Journey Begins
Thanks for joining me!
Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton